


Eggs

by transitioning_laufeyson



Series: Two Men and Crippling Idiocy [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Coffee Shop, Ivan doesn’t mind, Ivan ‘why are you like this’ Vanko, Justin needs to learn how to take care of himself, Justin ‘I don’t give a fuck about myself’ Hammer, M/M, Not really though, Tags May Change, They accidentally adopt a child, Trans Justin Hammer, not an au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-05 19:44:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14625717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transitioning_laufeyson/pseuds/transitioning_laufeyson
Summary: Justin goes grocery shopping, and discovers something interesting in the baking isle.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Not compliant with All Hail the King.

Justin pulled into the supermarket parking lot and stared at the driving wheel. About a year had passed since the expo, and even though he had managed to pay out his bail, the expo had fucked him up pretty badly. Vanko was quite the smart bastard.

He sighed and climbed out of the car. Despite what people thought, he had no servants, and yes, he can cook. Thanks, Stark, for spreading that fucking rumour. He headed in, picking up a basket. He checked his phone for the shopping list. Eggs, bread, milk, the usual stuff. And chocolate. Always chocolate. Best happy drug without the actual drugs.

He walked into the baking isle to buy eggs, and stopped. What the fuck.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ivan parked his shoddy car in the parking lot and got out. He was only there for eggs and sugar. Shouldn’t be any chance of getting caught. Hopefully. He looked around before getting out and walking in quickly. It had been a year, and everybody thought he was dead, but he wasn’t about to take chances.

Once he had the sugar, he turned around to get eggs. He chose a box and started checking them for cracks.

“Which eggs are the best?” A voice asked him. A short man stood next to him. He seemed familiar. He turned and Ivan saw his full face. “So?”

“Justin,” Ivan said.

“Yeah, y’think?” While Ivan was still staring, Justin took the egg box he was holding and checked the last egg. “These are all fine. Thanks.” Justin walked away, leaving Ivan to stare, and eventually pick up a new box.

~~~~~~~~~~

Justin got a bottle of milk and placed it in the basket. A hand took the eggs out.

“You took my eggs,” Ivan put them back in his basket.

“Technically, until one of us has bought them, they’re Walmart’s,”

“Ha ha ha,” Ivan laughed sarcastically. “They’re mine.”

Justin turned to look at him. “Let’s see, shall we?” He grabbed the eggs and took off running.

“Hey!” Ivan started sprinting after him. Justin started laughing and quickly put his groceries on the conveyor belt, panting.

“I beat you,” Justin said. “Better luck next time. I do my shopping every Wednesday.”

Ivan raised an eyebrow and patted him on the head. “Till next time, shorty.”

“Rude!”

Ivan laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Why are you always buying eggs?” Justin asked. It was the next Wednesday and they were back in the baking isle.

“I bake.”

“You?” Justin looked incredulous. “Baking?”

“Better pastime than trying and failing to murder Tony Stark,” Ivan said.

“True. So what do you do for a living now?”

“I work in a cafe,” Ivan replied. “You still have that company?”

“Planning on giving it over to my sister. She knows what she’s doing more than me,” Justin said.

“Okay,” Ivan said. “If that’s what you want to do.”

“Really?” The look on Justin’s face was incredulous.

“If that’s what you want to do, then go for it. It’s your life.”

“Since when were you a life coach?”

“I give advice to my regulars. There’s this university student who’s studying Math. The kid’s got a study group going at the cafe on Fridays.”

“Sounds fun. I’ll swing by sometime,” Justin took a box of eggs and a box of cake mix. A noise of disgust made him turn around.

“What?”

“Really? Cake mix?”

“Hun, do you really think I know how to bake properly?”

“I’ll show you how to sometime,” Ivan said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Justin walked away, a smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning,” a whisper came from by Justin’s ear. He jumped back.

“JesusFUCK Ivan! Can you not?”

“Why do you buy books from Walmart? They’re shit.”

Justin shrugged. “I’m curious. Sometimes they have good stuff.”

“Fair enough. Here,” Ivan passed Justin a sheet of paper with a phone number and an address. “My phone number and the cafe I work at. See you there.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Why do you look so nervous?” Blake asked. They sat at a table near the front counter. Blake went to the university nearby and frequently visited the cafe, almost solely because of the cake. Once some other guys that went to the university tried to give them some shit for being non-binary, and Ivan defended them, and they became pretty fast friends.

“I’m not nervous,” Ivan brushed away the question.

“Bull. What happened?”

“How’s Math going?” Ivan countered.

“Sneaky Russian,” Blake replied. “It’s fine. Got finals coming up though. That’ll be interesting.”

There was quiet for a few seconds before Blake spoke again. “I feel like you’re grooming me or something. Like you’re a pedophile.”

“You have to be underage for me to be a pedophile. And besides, you’re not my type.”

“Really? What is?” Ivan glared at them, and they held up their hands.

“Fine. You can be my replacement dad then,” Blake said.

“What happened to your actual dad?”

“Eh. He’s a dick. Says I’m ‘not his daughter’. Too fucking right I’m not.”

“Wow. Okay. I’ll be your replacement dad. When’s Father’s Day?”

“Not for a while.”

“Fine.”

The door to the cafe opened and Ivan and Blake looked up to see who it was.

“Jesus fucking Christ it’s fucking warm,” Justin said. “Afternoon, Ivan.”

“Hey Justin.”

“So, what’s good here?”

“The hot chocolate.”

“Yeah, but it’s like ninety fucking degrees.”

“Do you always swear this much?”

“Yes. Fuck you.”

“Damn. Well, the lemonade’s good. ‘S over there.”

“Cool,” Justin grabbed a bottle of lemonade and handed it to Ivan.

“Didn’t actually think you’d be here,” Ivan said.

“Why? It’s nice here. Got a nice feel,” Justin looked around. He caught sight of the various baked goods. “Woah. Did you bake these?”

“Some of them. The cake and the doughnuts. Everything else is shipped in from god knows where.”

“Then I’ll get a doughnut.”

“Which one?”

“I’ll leave that up to your judgement,” Justin smiled. Ivan handed him the doughnut and the bottle of lemonade, and Justin left.

“So that’s your type.”

“Really, Blake? Shouldn’t you be revising?”

“My exams aren’t for like another week.”

“And you haven’t started revising yet,” Ivan replied.

“True, but honestly I could not care less.”

“Fair enough.”

~~~~~~~~~~

JH: hey

IV: Hi.

JH: why are you using punctuation

IV: ...

IV: Fuck you.

IV: What do you want?

JH: christ, i was gonna ask if you wanted to go grab ice cream or something and talk but i guess not

IV: Oh.

IV: Sure. When?

JH: thursday

IV: At the place on 5th?

JH: yeah

IV: See you there.

JH: k

~~~~~~~~~~

Justin was boiling. He was sure that he specified a time, but Ivan was late, which was just a bitch, because being in the sunlight was making him seriously overheat.

“Sorry,” Ivan said, walking over. “Traffic was shit.”

“This entire fucking town is shit.”

“Yeah. Ice cream?”

“Yes.”

They started walking over, and Justin sighed in relief once he was in the shade. “It’s too fucking hot here,” Justin moaned.

“Live with it, bitch, I’m Russian, how do you think I feel?” Ivan retorted. Justin snorted.

“Rude. Again, actually.”

Once they were in line for ice cream, Ivan turned to Justin. “What do you want?”

“Um,” he looked at the menu. Shit, there was more options than he initially realised.

“Today, Hammer,” Ivan rolled his eyes. Fucking indecisive people.

“One scoop of mint choc chip and one scoop of chocolate,” Justin said.

“Great,” Ivan ordered the ice cream and handed Justin both of them while he payed.

“The fuck is that?” Justin asked.

“Raspberry ripple,” Ivan said, taking the ice cream and biting into it. They walked out of the ice cream parlour.

“Two things. One, you like raspberry ripple of all things? Two, why in the everloving fuck are you biting the ice cream, you savage?”

“Rude little midget.”

“I am not a midget! You’re just tall as fuck,” Justin replied.

“Sure thing.”

They ended up at the park and they sat on a bench together.

“One quick question,” Justin asked. Ivan looked at him. “How did you survive?”

“I don’t know. I remember the explosion, and then I just remember waking up in the wreckage. They thought I died in the explosion, so it made sense that they never found a body. Pulled a few strings, got in touch with some old friends who got me a new life. Started working in the cafe, and baking, and then we met in Walmart.”

“Yeah, that stunt you pulled at the expo was really a dick move. Nearly got arrested.”

“Prison isn’t so bad,” Ivan said.

“For me, it would be.”

“Really? Why?” Ivan turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a long story. Basically, it would be a pain in the arse to go to prison for various reasons.” The sun shone out from behind a cloud and Justin covered his eyes. “Jesus, why the fuck is it so hot today?”

“Then take off your fucking vest, genius,” Ivan said. The white band of a vest was poking out from underneath Justin’s t-shirt.

“Wait, what? Where?” Ivan touched the vest and Justin looked at it. “Shit.” He adjusted his t-shirt so that the binder was covered. “How long has that been like that?”

“Not long. Like since we sat down.” Justin sighed.

“Thank god.”

“Why?”

“I’ll probably explain at some point, just not today,” Justin said.

“Okay.”

They sat in silence for a minute or two, before Justin started laughing. Ivan turned to him, looking confused. “What? What?!”

“It’s just that all of this is so fucking weird,’ Justin said. “We, of all people, are sitting in a park in upstate New York eating ice cream. It just seems so odd to me. And besides, I thought you hated me.”

“No, I don’t hate you, I just thought you were a bit of an idiot, that’s all.”

Justin shrugged. “Yeah, but still.”

“Oh, get over yourself, you overdramatic sod. Shorty.”

“Stop!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Depression, transphobia and stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya boi’s back with another shitty chapter for whoever is reading this.

Another week, another odd shopping experience.

“Why are you buying candles?”

“Rude,” Ivan said, from where he was picking up a cheap pack of candles.

“Yeah, that’s great and all, but why?”

“It’s a friend of mine’s birthday tomorrow. And I forgot.”

“Good fucking job, genius. Thought you were the smart one,” Justin retorted.

“Compared to you, I am,” he said, smirking. “Taller, too. And probably less hated.”

“Really? Okay, bye,” he said, starting to walk off.

“Wh- what did I say?” Ivan yelled to him as he walked away. He didn’t know why Justin was being so sensitive, usually when he made digs about that he didn’t say anything.

“Whatever.” Oh joy, now he fucked up. Good job, Ivan.

~~~~~~~~~~

Blake sat in their usual spot reading a book. They had had multiple exams today, and they were so stressed they could cry.

“Oh look, it’s the retard. How are you, little girl?” said a voice. Great. A stupid boy to make the day even shittier.

“What do you want, Brad,” they said, too tired to be pissed.

“Nothing, I’m just bored,” he said. Douchebag.

“Good for you, go be bored somewhere else,” they responded.

“Hey,” Brad said, ripping the book out of their hands. “That was rude. Now apologise.”

“Or how about you fuck off,” someone else said. He was standing at the counter, buying a doughnut. Ivan stood there uncomfortably, looking between the stranger and Brad.

“Oh yeah, what do you want, shithead,” Brad said, walking over to the stranger.

“Look, if you want to start a fight, you should probably know that I have a gun in my bag. Just saying,” the stranger said, picking up his doughnut. Brad’s face was hilarious. He looked terrified.

“Sweetie, you are way out of your depth here, so I’d get the fuck out now, while you still can,” the guy said. Brad stood frozen for a second, until the man rolled his eyes. “Go. Now.” Brad snapped back to reality, and ran out of the cafe.

“Well that was fun,” the guy said, walking over to Blake. “Hi, I’m Justin.”

Blake regarded the hand for a few seconds before shaking it. “Blake. They/them pronouns, if you don’t mind. Nice to meet you.”

“Cool. I don’t mind,” he said, sitting opposite them.

“Yeah, Justin, that’s great, but are you going to apologise for scaring off my customer?” Ivan said, walking out from behind the counter.

“Do you actually care? That guy was a douchebag,” Blake said.

“Mmm, they have a point, Ivan,” Justin said.

“Oh, we’re on speaking terms now?” Ivan asked Justin. Justin has been avoiding him all week. On Wednesday, Ivan had walked into the aisle that Justin was in, only for him to immediately leave once Justin saw him.

“No, I am still pissed at you,” Justin replied, turning around. “But I will talk to you to insult you.”

“Charming,” Ivan said. “So friendly.”

“You know that I don’t give a fuck,” Justin retorted.

“Are we ever going to talk about that?”

“No. Maybe. Yes.”

“Thanks, Justin. Clear as mud.”

“Oh go fuck yourself, you crazy Russian bastard,” Justin said.

“Excuse me, but am I missing something?” Blake cut in. “Because I am slightly confused. How do you guys know each other?”

“We’ve known each other for... almost a year now,” Justin said, turning back around to face them. “We haven’t exactly gotten on.”

“Oh. Did you fuck something up, Ivan?” Blake said.

“Honestly, I have no clue because someone,” he said, sitting down at the table and pointedly looking at Justin, “won’t tell me what I did wrong and won’t answer my texts.”

Justin took off his glasses and put his head in his hands. “Fuck me, I barely know myself, Ivan. I overreacted. Sorry.”

“Wait, I don’t want you to apologise. I just want an explanation,” Ivan said, picking up Blake’s empty coffee cup. “I’ll take this.”

“I can’t give you an explanation, right now,” Justin said.

“You don’t have to,” Ivan said. “Just at some point.”

Justin nodded. “Okay.”

“Well, I’m gonna go,” Ivan said, standing up. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Blake said. “Well, he fucked that up, what happened?”

“It was something he said, and I know he didn’t mean it like he said, but it still hurt.”

“Shit, what kind of thing?”

“Ugh, it was a dig about my height, and he doesn’t even know why that’s a thing I’m sensitive about,” Justin said, putting his glasses back on.

“I can still hear you,” Ivan yelled. Thank god the cafe was quiet.

Justin’s phone started ringing. “Ah, fuck. Nice to meet you, Blake,” he said, standing up and walking away. “Bye, dipshit,” he said to Ivan.

“Oh fuck you, Justin!” He yelled.

“Are you kidding?! You’d snap me in half. Jesus,” He smirked when Ivan’s jaw dropped and Blake laughed in surprise and picked up the phone. “Yep?” He walked out of the cafe.

“Well, that just happened, fucking hell,” Blake laughed. “My God.”

“Jesus,” Ivan said, leaning against the counter. “Fucking God, what just happened?”

“Ivan, I have no clue,” Blake said. “But even I can see the chemistry.”

“What fucking chemistry?”

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

JH: hey

IV: hey

JH: are you busy right now?

IV: no, it’s three in the fucking morning

JH: then meet me at the pier

IV: why?

JH: because I want to talk to you

JH: and hurry up, it’s cold out here

IV: what the fuck?

IV: I’ll be there

JH: thanks

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

“Are you insane?” Ivan asked, pulling off his helmet and walking over to where Justin was sat, dangling his legs over the side of the pier.

“Is that a motorbike?” Justin asked, standing up.

“Yes, now what the fuck?” Ivan walked over to him, where he was standing in a polo shirt and jeans. “and don’t you own a coat?’ He took off his old hoodie and put it around Justin’s skinny shoulders.

“I want to show you something,” Justin said, putting the hoodie on properly.

“Yeah, you told me that, what is it?” He asked impatiently. Justin went back to sit on the edge of the pier. He beckoned Ivan over, and after a moment of thought, he sat with Justin. Justin lay back, and Ivan copied him.

“Now what?”

“Look at the sky,” Justin said. Ivan looked up and saw the stars. They were beautiful, because there were no clouds in the sky. They shone brightly in the sky. He could even see some constellations.

“Wow,” Ivan whispered.

“I know. I come here when everything I deal with gets too much. I wanted to show you this. We don’t get clear nights very often, and opportunities pass quickly.”

“Deep,” Ivan said. Justin laughed softly.

“Yeah. I guess it is. Really, it’s just a shitty coping mechanism,” Justin replied, his hands falling off of his stomach and coming to rest on the wood of the pier.

“I don’t think it’s actually that shitty. There are worse ones.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve tried them,” Justin said.

“Really?” Ivan said, surprised. He didn’t think Justin was depressed.

“Yep. I’ve gotten good at hiding them, thankfully,” Justin replied. “You can’t really see them anymore.”

“Scars?”

“Lots. It’s not really visible though.”

“Not on your arms then?”

“Oh, you do know what I’m talking about! No, they’re on my hip. Much easier to hide,” Justin said.

“Fucking hell, Justin. That’s not healthy,” Ivan said.

“I know, it just helps sometimes.” They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ivan’s hands rested on the pier as well, next to Justin’s. Ivan could sense that Justin wasn’t okay, somehow. He reached out slowly, simply touched Justin’s fingers with his own. Justin moved his hand as well, and they simply intertwined their fingers.

“What the fuck are we doing?” Justin whispered loudly. Ivan laughed out loud.

“I’m trying to make you feel better.”

“What, by holding my hand? Great method, Ivan.” Ivan finally took Justin’s hand in his own. What the fuck, Justin’s hands were so tiny.

“Do you feel better though?”

“Yes,” Justin said begrudgingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, if there is anybody! Comments and kudos are cool, but don’t sweat it.
> 
> See you next time I get my shit together!


	3. Chapter 3

Justin was at another expo. He didn’t go to as many, but he still went to show up. Hammertech guns were still the best on the market. He was sat, staring out of the window, wishing he was anywhere else. People still hated him, which was always interesting. Didn’t stop them from buying things, which was the main point.

“Hey, man,” somebody slapped a hand on Justin’s shoulder. Justin turned, and winced. Tony Stark. Perfect.

“Since when were we on speaking terms?” Justin asked bitterly.

“Since I decided we were. I’ll decide when we’re not, but if you don’t do that shit again, then we’re cool right now,” Tony said, sitting opposite him. “And you looked lonely as fuck, so I figured I’d talk to you.”

“Okay,” Justin said quietly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered quietly.

“What?” Tony said.

“I’m sorry,” Justin repeated louder. “For trying to kill you. I’m an idiot. I still hate myself for that.”

“What? No, you didn’t try to kill me, Vanko did. Honestly, I can’t trust you, but I can refrain from shooting you in the face because I’m not a dick,” Tony said. Justin laughed a bit at that, and Tony smiled. “There you go, happiness. Even you deserve that.”

“Tony- oh. Hello, Justin,” Pepper said coldly. She was standing with a redhead, the one that slammed him into a table and fractured one of his ribs. That still fucking hurt.

“Hello, Miss Potts,” Justin replied.

“Hey, Pepper, What is it?” Tony asked, an indecipherable look on his face.

“Well, Rayon Engineering just called, they want to-”

“Hey, Natalie!”

Justin spat out the water he was drinking. “Oh fuck.”

“Is he talking to me?” The redhead asked.

“No, probably not,” Justin said, turning around. Aldrich Killian, the fucking arsehole, was walking towards them. He found out Justin’s secret a few years back, and found it funny to deadname him as much as physically possible.

“So, Natalie,” Killian said, resting a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “How are you? You must be boiling in that suit, what with the, um.” Killian left that hanging, to leave the emphasis. “Anyway, didn’t feel like wearing a dress?” Justin said nothing, instead picking at his cuticles. “What? Is the presence of a real man overwhelming you, little girl?”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Tony cut in. “I don’t really know who you are, I quite frankly don’t fucking care, but whatever game you’re playing right now can stop. I don’t even like Justin all that much and I don’t know what you’re trying to hint at, but it’s seriously starting to get on my nerves. And his name is not Natalie, it’s Justin. Get lost, creep.”

Killian snorted. “Fine. Have fun, Natalie.” He left, and Justin smiled a bit.

“Thank you, Anthony,” he said.

“What was that about?” Tony asked.

“Um, I don’t really want to talk about it,” Justin replied quietly.

“That’s okay. People are allowed to have secrets,” the redhead said.

“I don’t think we’ve actually met, apart from you slamming me into a table and threatening me,” Justin said to her.

“No, we haven’t. I’m Natalie, Natalie Rushman,” she said.

“Justin Hammer. Sorry I was a dick, by the way.”

“It’s not so bad, Justin. You’re not a dick, just a bit of an idiot,” Tony said.

Justin turned to Pepper. “But you still don’t like me, do you?”

Pepper looked at him with a glare so cold Justin was sure the room just dropped a few degrees. “No.”

“That’s okay, I don’t judge. Honestly, I barely like myself, so I’m not going to judge,” Justin said, shrugging.

“Jesus, Justin, that’s fucked up,” Tony said.

“Yeah, but you hate yourself too,” Justin said.

“That is very true,” Tony said, nodding.

“Exactly. Bye, Anthony, Pepper, Natalie,” Justin said. “I’ll see you guys around.” He got up and walked away from the table, leaving the others to contemplate what the hell just happened.

~~~~~~~~

Justin was walking back home, his bag on his shoulder. The Hammertech offices were only a five minute walk from Justin’s house, thankfully. But it probably still wasn’t a good idea to walk home at 3 in the morning through a slightly dodgy neighbourhood. His headphones were in, the music loud in his ears. Maybe if he was listening to what was going on around him, he wouldn’t have gotten jumped.

A hand covered his mouth and he started. “Get the bag, get the bag!” His bag was taken from him, as were his headphones.

Justin started to struggle, but the man held the blade to his stomach. Justin stilled. “Wouldn’t want this to go into your stomach, would you, huh?”

Justin breathed quickly, trying to stay calm. “What do you want?”

“Well, my friend over there is going to look in that fancy bag of yours, and if there’s anything we want, we’ll take it. You aren’t exactly strong enough to fight us off, are you?” Justin shook his head. “And if you do anything, I’ll stab you. Savvy?” Justin nodded once. “Good.”

The other man started rummaging through the bag, but he wasn’t looking for long before a noise came behind them.

“What do you think you’re doing, huh?” A voice said.

“What?” The man said.

“Take your hands off him,” The owner of the voice stepped forward. Ivan. Justin didn’t think about why Ivan was there, but he was glad about it.

“Oh yeah? Or what?”

Completely silently, he raised a gun and shot the man with the bag in the head. “Or that.”

“Jesus fuck!” The man yelled. “You just shot him!”

“Never noticed,” Ivan deadpanned.

The man swore under his breath, and, clearly without forethought, stabbed Justin in the stomach, and shoved him towards Ivan. Ivan caught him as he fell. The man ran off, but that wasn’t important. He lay Justin gently on the ground.

“Justin. Justin! Fuck,” Justin was silent, but still breathing. Ivan pulled out his phone and dialled 911, while taking off his jacket.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Um, my friend. He got stabbed in the stomach.”

“Okay, tell me where you are currently and I can get an ambulance sent to your location.”

Ivan vaguely remembered where he was, and told the person on the other end of the phone. “Okay,” the person said. “Apply pressure to the wound until the ambulance arrives, and they’ll handle it from there.”

“Thanks,” Ivan hung up the phone and unbuttoned Justin’s shirt enough to see the wound. He put his jacket on the wound and pressed down, checking his pulse constantly until the ambulance arrived.

The ambulance crew took Justin from him and put him in the ambulance. He let them and grabbed Justin’ bag. He could deal with the dead body once he saw off the ambulance crew. He said that he didn’t want to go with them, there was only one hospital in town, it wouldn’t be hard to find him. Once the ambulance left, he cleared up the body, burning it in his furnace at his house.

~~~~~~~~

Justin came to slowly, looking around. He was in a hospital, obviously. There was an IV in his arm. Oh yeah, he got stabbed. He saw someone standing awkwardly in the doorway. Ivan. He seemed to be averting eye contact as much as possible.

“Hey,” he croaked. “Is there any water?” Ivan nodded, and poured him a glass of water. He drank slowly, and handed the glass back. “Thanks.”

“Um,” Ivan cleared his throat awkwardly. “So, about last night-”

“Jesus, you’re making it sound like we had a one night stand or something,” Justin said, laughing. Ivan chuckled too, but continued to speak.

“So, uh, after you got stabbed, you were in surgery for a while. The knife went in pretty deep, and grazed a couple of organs. Nearly got your liver, so the doctors had to work quickly. They, uh, had to cut your vest off of you.” Ivan finished his sentence, leaving what he had just said to sink in.

“Oh. OH. That’s not good. But also, it’s not a vest, it’s a binder. I’m trans, Ivan.”

Ivan didn’t look surprised. “Okay. Been kinda putting the pieces together for a while. It makes sense.”

“Really?” Justin didn’t think he was that observant.

“Yeah. I mean, constantly overheating, sensitive about height, it makes sense. Blake’s the same.”

“Oh, yeah. How is the kid?” Justin asked. He hadn’t dropped by the cafe many times after that day, and when he did, it was mostly just to say hi.

“They’re good. A lot happier now that their exams are over. They said that you’re a fun person to be around,” Ivan told him. “How are you?”

“Pain. How many stitches?”

“Fifteen. And a ton of blood. You’re lucky I showed up, by the way,” Ivan said.

“How did you even know what was happening?”

“I may or may not have hacked all the security cameras in the town to make sure you don’t get murdered,” Ivan told him sheepishly.

“Really?! Stalking me, seriously.”

“It’s not stalking! I’m just worried about you.” Justin nodded sarcastically.

“So it’s nothing to do with the fact that you’re seriously overprotective of me now that you know more about me?” Justin asked.

“It is partly that, yes. But seriously, do you not have any security with you? And why do you walk alone at like three in the morning? Are you mad?”

Justin laughed, a soft, beautiful laugh, and it was the first time Ivan had ever heard someone laugh so genuinely. And it made him feel something.

He was in love with Justin. Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

Justin spent close to a week in the hospital. Ivan visited him every one of those days, and Blake dropped in a couple times. He hadn’t been as bored as he was expecting, because Ivan brought his bag, with his laptop and headphones, so he could do his work where he was, or at least the things that could be done via email.

“Hey,” a voice said. Justin looked up from where he was typing on his laptop. Tony Stark was standing in the doorway.

“Hello, Anthony,” Justin replied, closing his laptop.

“Tony, if you don’t mind. Only my dad called me Anthony, and he was a douchebag,” Tony said, sitting on the chair.

“Fair enough,” Justin shrugged.

“Uh, so, was this what that guy meant by Natalie?” Tony said, gesturing to Justin’s chest.

“Oh wow, this is a conversation I never wanted to have,” Justin said, laughing nervously. “Cheers for making my dysphoria that much worse, Tony.”

Tony smacked himself on the head. “Oh shit, I am so sorry,” Tony said. “I didn’t think about that. I’m such an ass.”

Justin laughed, then winced. “Ow. You’re not an ass, Tony, I am.”

“No you’re not,” Tony said, shaking his head.

“See, this is how this conversation goes nowhere!” Justin exclaimed. “We both say that we’re bad people, and we both tell each other that we’re wrong.”

“Just suicidal kids telling other suicidal kids that suicide isn’t the answer,” Tony said. Justin nodded silently. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Tony spoke up again. “God, that’s so depressing.”

Justin laughed again. “Yep, pretty much sums up our lives right now, huh?” Suddenly, Tony’s phone rang and he swore.

“Oh shit, Pepper’s gonna be pissed. I was meant to be at a board meeting,” Tony said. “Get better soon, Justin. Have a good one.” Justin waved goodbye, and Tony left to face his angry girlfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Well, Justin, everything seems to be alright, the stitches are fine, your liver is working perfectly fine, so after some final checkups, you are good to go,” the doctor said. Justin knew her pretty well, she had been the one to oversee the healing process of his rib after the expo. She was pretty awesome, and very scary when she wanted to be.

“Thanks. I have had a fucked up year, haven’t I?” Justin asked her.

“Yep. Pretty bad. First a broken rib, then getting stabbed. Maybe next time you’re going to walk home at three am in the morning, get your boyfriend to walk home with you,” she said.

“Who, Ivan? He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just... a good friend of mine,” Justin defended.

“Uh huh, and that’s why he’s been spending all his time with you after his work within visiting hours. Heard he even brought you chocolate,” the doctor said, smiling.

“No, no, the chocolates were from Blake,” Justin said, laughing.

“Well, I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” she said. “That is a man that is in love, and I know that you don’t believe me, because you hate yourself, but believe it.”

“Ooookay, I think that is enough speculation for today, I am done,” Justin said. “I’m going home, and I am going to sleep for fifteen hours. And possibly wash my brain out with bleach.”

“Alright. Here’s your clothes,” she said, handing him a bag. “By the way, you can’t wear a binder for a while. It might screw up the stitches.”

“Aw fuck. I have shit to do, I can’t show up to work without a binder,” Justin said.

“Well, don’t go to work. You can do some of it from home, can’t you?” The doctor asked.

“Yeah, I guess. Thanks, again,” Justin said. She nodded, and left, shutting the door to give him some privacy. He changed, with a bit of difficulty, and picked up his phone, and called Ivan.

“Hello?” Ivan said.

“Hey, I’m out of hospital. Can you come and pick me up?” Justin asked, putting his stuff into his bag.

“Holy shit, you should have told me earlier! Yeah, I’ll come and get you. Be there in like fifteen minutes,” Ivan said.

“Yeah, I’ll take a while to get to the parking lot anyway, so that should be about right. See you there,” Justin said. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Ivan said. He hung up, and Justin sighed. Now for a painful walk down to the parking lot.

~~~~~~~~~~

“You look like shit,” Ivan said. Justin sighed and shut the car door.

“Shut the fuck up,” He twisted to grab his seatbelt, and hissed in pain. “Fuck, that hurts. Stupid stitches.” Ivan rolled his eyes, reached over and pulled out the seatbelt. Justin took it from him and mumbled a quiet ‘thank you.’ Ivan pulled out of the parking space, and they started to drive.

“You need to be more careful with that,” Ivan said. “If you reopen those stitches, you’re fucked.”

“I know that,” Justin said. “It’s not that easy to just not do anything. I live alone.”

“And that’s why you’re going to stay with me,” Ivan replied.

“What? Why?” Justin asked, incredulous.

“Because you can’t take care of yourself, and you were just in pain trying to reach your seatbelt,” Ivan said. “And I don’t feel like you’ll be safe at your house on your own.”

“Okay, as long as you teach me how to bake,” Justin said.

“Fine, not a problem for me,” Ivan said.

“It’s a deal then,” Justin said.

“Cool.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“This is nicer than I expected,” Justin said. They had driven back to Justin’ place to grab some stuff before driving for about fifteen minutes to Ivan’s apartment.

“Cheers, Justin. Nice to know what your expectations are,” Ivan said, parking the car.

“Yeah, but-”

“What were you expecting? Some kind of crack flat on the other side of the tracks?” Ivan said, opening the door on Justin’s side and helping him out.

“Does this town even have tracks?” Justin asked.

“Other side of the freeway, then,” Ivan said.

“Then, honestly, yes, but this is very nice. Modern as well,” Justin said, looking around.

“Yeah.” Ivan grabbed Justin’s bag and swung it onto his shoulder. “This way, let’s go.”

“I can carry my own damn bag,” Justin said, trying to get it back from the taller man.

“No,” Ivan replied, dodging out of the way. When Justin persisted, he grabbed Justin’s wrists and held them at arm’s length from him. “No.”

“You’re a dickbag,” Justin said, dropping his hands.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Ivan said. He started walking, and heard Justin grumble a small ‘no’.

~~~~~~~~~~

When he opened the door to his apartment, Justin was again surprised.

“This is also nicer than I expected,” Justin said.

“Take off your shoes,” Ivan said.

“Why?” Justin asked.

“Because I’m not having you trek mud all over my floor,” Ivan said. “And it’s polite.”

“You’re so weird,” Justin said, laughing. He took his shoes off all the same, and left them next to Ivan’s.

“Anyway, want some water? Beer?” Ivan asked, walking over to his fridge.

“Beer? Please,” Justin said, sitting on the sofa.

“Is that even a good idea? You just nearly lost your liver,” Ivan said, handing Justin a bottle.

“Yeah, but anything that brings me to an earlier demise is welcome,” Justin said, taking the bottle opener and opening his beer. Ivan walked over to the bird cage, and opened the cage door. The bird flew onto his shoulder, and Ivan gave her a sunflower seed.

“Oh, you still have that thing,” Justin said in surprise.

“Her name is Vera,” Ivan said. “Don’t be rude.”

“Alright,” Justin mumbled. “Touchy.”

“Okay then,” Ivan said. He sat down next to Justin on the sofa and he turned the TV on. “Netflix?”

“What is this, Netflix and chill?” Justin said, laughing slightly.

“No.” _Yes_. “Netflix and excessive alcohol, and cupcakes, once I get to it,” Ivan said.

“I’m down for that,” Justin said. “Got blankets or something? I prefer to have a blanket when I’m watching TV.”

“Well aren’t you fucking demanding,” Ivan muttered. He opened the drawer that was on the coffee table and took out a fluffy blue blanket. He threw it at Justin, who yelped.

“Do you want me to spill beer on this couch?” Justin yelled.

“I spilled vodka on it once, it’s not that bad,” Ivan said, sitting back on the sofa. “Share the blanket.” Justin grumbled, then unfolded the blanket and threw half of it at him. “Thanks.”

“What are we watching?” Justin said. Ivan grabbed the remote.

“Well, we’ve got tons of stuff. Ooh, we could watch all of the James Bond films,” he said, flicking through.

“Which ones? The Daniel Craig ones?”

“Yep,” Ivan replied, clicking onto Casino Royale.

“Yeah, go for that. He’s hot.”

“Yeah, he is,” Ivan muttered. Justin suddenly did a double take. “What?”

“You like guys? I thought you were straight?”

“Nope. Bi. You?”

“Gay. Some people find that weird, you know,” Justin said.

“They find what weird?”

Justin shrugged. “That I’m a trans guy that likes guys. Some people think I would have an easier time finding a boyfriend if I was a woman.”

“Well then they’re idiots,” Ivan said. He clicked on the movie, and it started to play.

They watched Casino Royale, and decided against getting more beer, as they would probably have to go and get stuff from Justin’s house in the morning. As it turned out, all of the James Bond films were on Netflix, so they could watch all of them with relative ease.

As the ending credits to Spectre were rolling, Ivan looked over to Justin. Vera had flown back to her cage, and presumably already gone to sleep. He was asleep, head tipped back to rest on a cushion. It was oddly adorable. Ivan got up, and gently took away the blanket. He dumped it on the floor, and picked up Justin, carrying him to his bedroom, tucking him in, and going to sleep on his own sofa.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I went away for a while, and because we had no WiFi there, I got a shit ton of writing done, but I forgot to update this even though I have two whole chapters written of it. So, enjoy!

Justin woke up slowly, trying to make sense of where he was. The room he was in was a mess, clothes strewn around, along with books in... Russian... Oh God, was he in Ivan’s bed? Justin got out of the bed quickly, wincing when it pulled on his stitches, then opened the door quietly.

“Morning. Want some bacon and eggs?” Ivan asked from where he was standing by the cooker.

“Uh, sure. Did you sleep on the couch?” Justin asked, grabbing his bag and rummaging through it, looking for his binder.

“Yes, I did. You were already asleep. And your binder’s not in there, the ambulance crew cut it off you, remember?” Justin dropped the bag on the table and stared at the ceiling. “And besides, I’m pretty sure that you’re not meant to be wearing a binder with the stitches anyway.

“Fuck...” Justin pulled out one of the chairs and collapsed into it. “Son of a bitch. We’re going to have to go to my house to grab some of my stuff.”

“Well,” Ivan said, putting a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs, along with some cutlery, on the table, “you should eat something first.” Justin grumbled, but ate it all the same.

“So, I have to go to work,” Justin said.

“So do I,” Ivan replied. “I can drop you off on the way after we’ve got your shit.”

“Great,” Justin said. “That was easy.”

“Don’t kill yourself when you’re there and don’t walk home on your own. Call me once you’re done.” Justin rolled his eyes.

“Fine.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Once Ivan got back from work, he decided to make cupcakes. Once the mix was finished, Ivan put the cupcakes in the oven and shut it before checking his phone. No texts. He put on a timer and went to his study.

Various pieces of machinery lay on the table. There was a pile of tangled wires near the lamp and a gun was sitting on the shelf next to a locked box. He sat down and pulled his latest project closer to him so that he could work.

~~~~~~~~~~

Justin dumped his bag on the desk and clapped his hands to bring his lab to life. Statistics for his latest weaponry appeared on the walls. He put on some calm music and started to work on a grenade launcher he had designed a few weeks ago, before the stabbing.

The mechanics were annoying him, something kept getting caught, and the tennis balls he was trying it out with wouldn’t launch. He unscrewed part of the side and lifted it off. The mechanism that launched the balls was stuck. Fixing it was interesting, he nearly cut his finger off. Typical.

~~~~~~~~~~

The cupcakes were just out of the oven when he got a text. It was Justin. Ivan picked up the phone to respond.

JH: done at work

IV: Cool, I’ll get you. I made cupcakes, haven’t iced them yet.

JH: they better be good

IV: Fuck you, they’re excellent.

JH: fine now come and get me

IV: Be there in fifteen.

Ivan put his phone down and left, making sure every one of his windows was locked, and the door to the study. Not that it would stop any break-ins, but it made him feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~

“There you are! I was thinking you might never show up!” Justin said when Ivan pulled up.

“There was traffic on the freeway,” Ivan replied, getting Justin’s seatbelt for him when he got in the car.

“Fair enough,” Justin said. “So, we going back for cupcakes?”

“Yep. They’re just out of the oven. I just need to ice them.”

“Let’s do that.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh shit.”

Justin looked up from the couch. “What?”

“I’m out of butter. I’ll have to go to the store to get some,” Ivan said. He grabbed his jacket and his wallet.

“Bye,” Justin said, turning a page in his book.

“See you,” Ivan replied, patting Justin on the head and leaving. Once the door was shut, Justin looked around. Just one. Just to keep the feelings at bay. A pair of scissors lay on the side. Perfect.

Justin took the scissors and went into the bathroom. He could do it on his arm, he’d be wearing a hoodie anyway. He rolled up his sleeve and felt the blade. The scissors were pretty sharp, enough to cut properly. He pressed down, and cut. Not quite enough to draw blood, but close. Enough to numb the feelings of being a burden, of being a waste. Another cut, and another, and another...

~~~~~~~~~~

“Justin, I’m back! Justin?” When the man didn’t answer, he started to worry. “Justin?” The book he was reading lay on the table abandoned. Not good. He stood and listened for a second, and then heard sobbing coming from the bathroom.

“Justin?” He knocked on the bathroom door, but got no response. He opened the door a bit, and saw Justin sitting on the rim of the bathtub, crying. He swore in Russian and ran over, took the scissors, and chucked them in the sink. He sat on the edge of the bathtub next to Justin.

“Justin, look at me. Hey.” Ivan placed a hand gently on the back of his neck and Justin leaned into his body. Ivan pulled him into a slightly awkward hug and they sat there for a while. Ivan pressed a few soft kisses to the top of his head and shushed him. Once Justin’s sobs quietened down, Ivan heard Justin whisper something.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“Sorry for what?”

“For being a burden,” Justin said, wiping his tears away.

“You aren’t a burden,” Ivan said. “If anything, you’re a miracle. I’ve now got a friend that isn’t below twenty.” Justin laughed. “I have some bandages, I’ll grab them and we can move on.”

Justin nodded. “Yeah.” Ivan patted him on the head and stood up, taking the bloody scissors from the sink as well. He grabbed the bandages and antiseptic from a drawer and headed back to the bathroom.

“Got them,” Ivan said, walking back in. He bandaged Justin’s arms carefully.

“Ah, the pains of being ambidextrous,” Justin said. Ivan chuckled.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with us that that’s totally normal?”

“Yeah, but whatever, it‘s our thing,” Justin replied, pulling his sleeves back down. He smiled, and Ivan pressed a kiss to Justin’s forehead. Justin raised an eyebrow. “Really? Too scared to actually kiss me?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Ivan said, grabbing Justin’s face and pressing their lips together. Justin wrapped his arms around Ivan’s neck and Ivan’s hands came to rest on Justin’s hips.

They eventually pulled away, gasping for breath. Justin rested his head on Ivan’s chest and Ivan put his head on Justin’s. “Why the fuck did we just do that?” Justin asked.

“It felt good,” Ivan replied.

“Cupcakes?” Justin asked.

“Good idea,” Ivan said. “I still need to finish the icing.”

“Sounds like fun.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, when they were laying in bed completely naked and staring at the ceiling, Justin asked a question.

“So, are we playing for keeps, or is this a one-time thing?” He asked.

“I don’t think we can fuck once and move on with our relationship,” Ivan said.

“So, we are playing for keeps?” Justin asked.

“For god’s sake, yes, we are,” Ivan said, exasperated. Justin smiled and joined their hands.

“Cool. Should we go on a date?” Justin asked.

“Isn’t that what most people do when they’re in a relationship?” Ivan replied. “And I feel like I’m preying on your emotions.”

“Why the fuck?” Justin asked.

“Because you were very emotional and probably looking for some kind of closure. And I’m not the kind of guy to take advantage.”

“Nah, I’m fine. I’ve had a weird crush on you for a while anyway,” Justin said.

“Oh, makes it two then,” Ivan replied.

“Perfect.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Blake was having an issue with their coursework. Math was a bitch. They took out their phone and texted Justin

BC: Hey J

JH: hey

BC: I need some help with homework

JH: what is it?

BC: Math

JH: how difficult is it?

BC: Pretty difficult. Can we meet somewhere?

JH: i’m staying with a friend

JH: he won’t mind

JH: i’ll send u the address

BC: Thanks

JH: see u there

~~~~~~~~~~

When there was a knock on the door, Justin got up to open it. Ivan looked up from where he was reading a book.

“Who is it?” He asked.

“Just a friend,” Justin replied. He opened the door and Blake stepped in.

“Hey,” they said. “Thanks for agreeing to help me.”

“Oh,” Ivan said. “It’s Blake. What the heck are you doing here?”

“Shit!” Blake said, grabbing their chest. “You scared me! Jesus, don’t do that!”

“What’s going on?” Ivan said, walking over. “And I haven’t seen you for weeks, what’s up with that?”

“Oh, coursework, and my girlfriend’s dad’s sick, so I’m the emotional support,” they replied. “I haven’t really had time.”

“Oh, hope he’ll be okay,” Justin said. “What was the thing you were confused about?”

Blake dropped their bag onto the table. “Well, it’s more just that I’m not sure how to go about solving it.”

Ivan walked over, the bird in his shoulder. “So you’re confused.”

Justin shook his head. “Ivan, don’t be a dick.” The bird flew over to Justin and landed on his arm.

“Or what?” Ivan smirked.

“Or I’m chopping your balls off while you sleep,” Justin said. Ivan’s smile dropped and he sat at the table.

“Fine. What are we doing?” He asked. Blake started laughing and got their textbooks out. Justin went to get himself a cupcake from the counter and brought one for Blake and one for Ivan.

It turned out that the Math wasn’t too difficult, and it was done pretty quickly. Then they put a movie on and watched it with minimal yelling at the TV. Blake left after the movie and Justin and Ivan watched one more movie before finally going to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tony was working in the lab when he got the call. He didn’t recognise the number, but he picked it up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Mr Stark.” He knew that voice.

“Who is this?” Tony asked, leaning against the counter.

“This is General Ross. I have some intel that I think you will find very interesting.”

“I’m listening,” Tony said.

“Do you recall the Stark Expo?”

“Of course I do.” How could he forget? Some Russian maniac nearly killed him, and he killed the guy in retaliation.

“Well, apparently, Ivan Vanko is in fact, not dead. He is very much alive, and I would very much like to bring him in, and I’m assuming you’re feeling the same way.” What. The. Fuck.

“Yes,” Tony said dangerously. “Where is he.”

“He has been spotted in the company of Justin Hammer.” That fucking bastard. “We’re pretty sure that they are romantically involved, judging by their actions over the past three weeks. We know where he will be in three days thanks to one of my agents. I’ll send you the location and the time.”

“Thank you sir,” Tony said. He hung up and took a deep breath. What a lying douchebag. Justin was going to pay, and so was Vanko.

~~~~~~~~~~

The restaurant was nice. Justin really liked it. It was the third date they’d been on since that initial night, and it was going really well. Blake knew, and they really supported it, it was kinda hilarious. They were asking after all the details.

“This is really nice,” Justin said, looking around. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Neither have I. Blake recommended it to me. Said it was great, and I genuinely believe them.”

Everything was going great, and then a repulsor was pointed at his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments and kudos, they really help the writing process.
> 
> Bye!


	6. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some pretty graphic depictions of torture. Quick warning.

His chest hurt, that’s all he could say.

Justin was being held in room with a chair and a table with two guards watching him. He was sat in one of the corners, his head on his knees. He didn’t know where Ivan was, he was probably being questioned or something. He didn’t know how long he’d been there, there were no windows. Time was a blur, they had taken his watch. Somebody stepped in.

“Mr Hammer, I’m here to ask you a few questions,” the man said. “If I can’t get them out of you, my friends here,” he gestured to the guards on either side of the door, “will get them out of you. Do you understand?”

Justin nodded, and the man continued. “Where did you first see Vanko after the expo?” Justin stayed silent. He wasn’t about to sell out his significant other, and fuck the consequences.

The man knelt in front of him. “I’ll ask one more time. Where did you first see Vanko after the expo?” When Justin remained silent, the man struck him across the face.

“Fine. I’ll return in a few hours. We’ll see if you’re more willing to talk then.” The door closed, leaving an ominous feeling in the room.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr Vanko, this could be very easy for you. You just need to tell us how Mr Hammer helped you survive and you can walk free.” This man was a fucking bastard. Ivan was tied to a chair in the centre of the room.

“I keep telling you, he didn’t help me, he found out by accident,” Ivan said angrily. The smugness of this dickhead was pissing him off.

“You seriously think I’ll believe that?” The man asked.

“Yes, it’s the truth. And even if he did help me, I wouldn’t sell him out.”

“Well, how do you know that he isn’t selling you out?” The man inquired.

“Because he wouldn’t do that.” Suddenly, there were screams. Loud screams.

“Ah. That would be Mr Hammer. He is as reluctant to part with his knowledge as you are. I’d suggest that you start talking fast unless you want my men to start ripping out his fingernails.” Holy shit. This was bad.

“Why are you doing this to him? I’m the one you want. Leave him alone!” Ivan yelled. The man sighed.

“I’ll be back soon. Let’s see if you can stand listening to hours of your friend’s screams,” the man said smugly. He left the room and locked it, leaving Ivan alone with the sounds of his lover’s screams.

~~~~~~~~~~

He was holding up pretty well until they started to break his fingers. They’d struck him across the face and on his chest, that didn’t really do much except for increase the pain in his chest from a dull ache to a slowly increasing, incredibly painful burn. Then they’d started with his pinkies, snapping each bone with their own hands. They paid no attention to his yells, or his pleas for it to stop.

Once his fingers were hanging limp, bent at disgusting angles, they took pliers out of their pockets and started with his fingernails. That hurt even worse. When they gripped his fingers in theirs, it sent even more pain. At this point, he wasn’t even going to be able to form a coherent thought, let alone tell them any information.

“How did you know he was alive?” One of the guards asked. Justin gasped for a few seconds before answering.

“Fuck… you…” he said slowly. The guard sighed and punched Justin in the face, hard. His nose started bleeding, and Justin was pretty sure that it was broken.

“This shouldn’t have to be so hard. Just tell me what we need to know and you can go.” Justin shook his head.

“Okay, changing tactics,” the other guard said. “Get him on the table.” Justin struggled, but the men were strong, and they tied him down easily. When they unbuckled his belt, he got the gist. He wasn’t about to live through that, so he banged his head on the table, hard, and slid into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr Stark,” Fury said, managing to catch him just as he was about to get into his car. “Can I have a word?”

“What do you want, Fury, I’m on borrowed time. I have a place to be,” Tony said, slamming the door on his car. It was the third day since Vanko and Hammer had been captured in the restaurant. They hadn’t gotten anywhere yet.

“I know about Vanko, Stark. I’m breaking him out.” Fury stepped towards Tony, taking out a tablet.

“What the fuck? Why? He’s a murderer! And so’s his fucking boyfriend.”

“Well, I have a picture of what Mr Hammer looked like this morning,” he said, showing the picture to Tony. Most of his limbs were bent at odd angles, and he was only in his vest and underwear, and he was unconscious. His hands were mangled messes, and they were bleeding a lot.

“Holy fuck. That’s not happening, not on my watch. I might hate them, but I’m not that much of a dick. I’ll call Rhodey and fill him in. We’ll meet you outside the building.” Tony walked back into his house, and shut the door behind him. Fury sighed in relief and got back into his car. That was easier than expected.

~~~~~~~~~~

It must have been days since they were first arrested. Ivan hadn’t been given much other than a cup of water a few times. When he suddenly heard gunshots, he sat up. The ropes were chafing his wrists and ankles. The door was busted down and three soldiers ran in, along with a man in a leather coat.

“Mr Vanko,” the man said, “I want to make a deal with you.” He nodded to one of the soldiers and he was cut free. Ivan stood up quickly, rubbing his wrists because, fuck, that hurt.

“Where’s Justin,” he asked angrily.

“He’s being taken to medical. He’s in a pretty bad condition, and they want to make sure he isn’t dying or dead. We’re going to the same place, and you can see him as soon as medical clears him. You’ll be debriefed there, we need to move,” The guy said. “Oh, and I’m Director Fury.”

He walked out, and Ivan followed him outside, to where he could see Justin was being lifted into a van on a stretcher. Fuck, he looked bad. Ivan knew that he couldn’t do anything for Justin, but he wished he could.

“If you’ll follow me,” the director said, and led him towards- Stark.

“Vanko,” Stark said angrily.

“Stark,” he replied.

“You’re lucky that I care enough about Justin to break him and you out, and you’re lucky I haven’t killed you yet,” Stark told him.

“Can we not fight?” Another man in armour said. This must be Colonel Rhodes. “There’s more important stuff to do.”

“Fine, let’s just go. Fury, we’ll see you there,” Stark said, before taking to the sky, Rhodes following behind. Fury sighed, then got into another van, and gestured for Ivan to get in the other side.

The drive was short, thankfully, and the medical van had already been and gone. Fury took him to a room where Stark and Rhodes already were. Stark glared at him, again, and Rhodes just looked uncomfortable.

“Gentlemen, if we can get started,” Fury said. The three of them sat and turned their attention on him. “Good. Mr Vanko, you and Mr Hammer were held captive by General Ross. We are working on bringing him in. Now, Mr Hammer was tortured, quite badly, so he’ll be in medical for a long time. Do you want to know the extent of his injuries?”

Stark and Ivan both nodded, so he continued. “Mr Hammer has three broken ribs, every bone in each of his fingers is broken, he is severely dehydrated, one of the bones in his left leg is broken, and...” Fury took a breath before continuing. “And there is evidence that he has been raped.”

“Holy shit,” Rhodes said.

“What the fuck!” Ivan yelled, standing up. “If you,” he pointed to Stark, “hadn’t helped bring us in, this never would have happened!”

Stark pointed one of his repulsors at Ivan. “Don’t move. I’ll kill you.”

“Tony, are you kidding me? You did that?” Rhodes asked.

“What? I didn’t do... that,” Stark gestured to Fury, “but what would you have done if you found out that a guy that tried to kill you was alive, and that your friend was not only helping him, but in a relationship with him?”

Ivan sat back down and rubbed a hand over his face. “The relationship thing was an accident.”

“Oh what, so you just fell into his bed?” Stark asked incredulously.

“No, that’s not what I meant. Getting attached was an accident. I should have known it was a mistake, and now he’s been tortured and they barely touched me. I don’t even know why they did that,” Ivan admitted.

“Well, they know that you’re both pretty resistant to torture, so they figured if they tortured one person, the other would snap,” Fury said like it was obvious.

“So I shouldn’t have gotten attached,” Ivan said.

“Basically, no.”

“Well, fuck me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	7. In the Hospital

Justin slowly woke up to quiet beeping and murmurs. When he started to open his eyes, the murmurs stopped, though the beeping continued. He was in a hospital, again. This time, however, there was a lot more of... everything, really. More bandages, more people, more wires, and casts. A lot of them.

Tony and Ivan were both stood at the end of his bed. It made sense that they were the ones talking. Ivan looked worried, and Tony’s expression was unreadable.

“How are you feeling?” Ivan asked.

“Like-” he stopped for a second because, wow, his throat hurt, “like crap. What happened?”

“You were tortured,” Tony said. “You nearly died. Your binder was crushing your ribs. You’ve been asleep for nearly a week.”

The nurse came in with a cup and a straw. Justin would’ve taken it, but both of his entire hands were in casts. He sipped at it, and whispered a thank you when he was done. The nurse smiled sympathetically and placed the cup on the bedside table.

“Fuck me,” Justin said, resting his head back on the pillows. “My hands are fucked.”

“Among other things,” Ivan muttered. “Wonder whose fault that is.”

“Oh, you got a problem?” Tony retorted angrily. Justin let out a pained breath.

“Guys, please don’t fight. I just woke up and everything hurts, don’t make everything worse,” he pleaded quietly. They both shut up and Justin smiled weakly.

“It’s nice to see that you two can get along,” he said.

Tony shrugged. “It’s mostly that we have a common interest.” Ivan choked on his water and looked at Tony strangely.

“I thought you hated him?” He asked, pointing to Justin.

“Yeah, but the picture Fury showed me made me realise how much of a mistake I made,” Tony said. “And now I care a lot. I’m so, so fucking sorry.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Ivan said. “You were half the reason he got tortured, among other things.” Tony looked at the floor and swallowed slowly.

“Ivan,” Justin said, exasperated. “Leave it.”

Ivan looked at him directly in the eyes, a serious expression. “You don’t remember the whole three days, do you?”

“No, I probably repressed some of it,” Justin said, shrugging.

“You must have repressed a lot to forget what happened,” Ivan said.

“What happened again?”

“I’m going to go now,” Tony said. “I’ll give you guys some privacy.” Once he had shut the door behind him, Ivan sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

“How are you feeling?” He asked again.

“Ivan, what happened to me?” Justin persisted.

“Justin, look-”

“It’s my goddamn body, Ivan! I have a right to know what happened to me!” Justin yelled. Ivan sighed again.

“Fine, you want to know what really happened?” Ivan said.

“Yes, I do!” Justin said angrily.

“Maybe it’s better to let somebody else tell you that,” a voice said from the doorway. Ivan stood up.

“Who the fuck are you?” He asked.

“I’m Agent Phil Coulson. I’d like to talk to Mr Hammer alone, please,” Phil said. “If you don’t mind.”

Ivan rolled his eyes, and left, shutting the door loudly behind him, swearing in Russian. Phil raised his eyebrows, but took the seat next to the bed all the same.

“Well, he has an attitude,” Phil said. Justin nodded.

“Yeah, he’s a bit of a dick sometimes,” Justin admitted. “But he seems to love me, so I let it slide.”

“Mhmm,” Phil hummed. “You wanted to know the full extent of your injuries?” Justin nodded again, and Phil sighed.

“Okay, so, as you’ve inevitably already figured out, your hands are completely broken. Three of your ribs are broken, your left leg is broken, and there is something else.” Phil said the last bit very quietly.

“What is the something else? I have, like, a gap in my memory,” Justin

“One of the guards assaulted you. Can you remember what happened now?” When the agent said those words, it all came rushing back.

“Oh my god. Oh my GOD,” Justin said. He looked at Phil, eyes pleading. “Tell me I’m not-”

“The doctors are going to do a blood test later today,” Phil reassured him. “If you are, all the options are available to you.”

“Okay,” Justin said quietly. He yawned, covering his mouth with his cast left hand. “Y’know, I think I’m ready to go back to sleep again.” Phill nodded and stood up to leave. He turned the light off in his room.

“I’ll tell the three gentlemen outside to go home and get some sleep as well,” Phil said, shutting the door. Justin nodded, closed his eyes and felt himself drift into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~

The doctor woke him up a few hours later for the blood test results. Tony was there for the results, Ivan having been sent to get some food.

“So, the blood test has come back, and you are not pregnant,” one of the doctors said. Justin let out a sigh of relief. Thank god.

“And you don’t have an STD, which is just as excellent news.” Tony let out a whoop and Justin laughed.

“Holy god, this has been an emotional rollercoaster,” Justin said. “The last week or so has been a mess.”

“Yeah, So it’ll be another few weeks to a month before you’re out of the hospital, so don’t think you’re going anywhere yet,” the doctor added. “It’ll be quite a while until you can use your hands again, sadly, and your leg still needs time to heal.”

“Oh joy, wheelchairs,” Justin muttered. The doctor laughed.

“And you still have three broken ribs, so that won’t be for a while either,” the doctor said.

“So right now basically all I can do is sit here and talk for about fifteen minutes, then feel like death and have to sleep some more,” Justin said.

“Hey, enjoy having some down time,” Tony said.

“I’ll go now, you know everything you need to,” the doctor said. Once he had left and shut the door, Justin sighed again.

“Guess I will be handing the company over to my sister in the end,” Justin said.

“What?” Tony asked.

“I’m giving the company to my sister. Or rather, I’m handing the reins over. I’ll still get some money from it, and hopefully I’ll be able to send in designs sometimes, but in no way will I be able to run a company like this.”

“But once you’ve gotten better you’ll be fine!” Tony said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Tony, do you really think my hands will be back to their full capacity after this?” Justin asked. “Get real, all of my fingers are broken, and even if they heal fine, which is a big if, it’ll take months to get them back to the strength they were at before.”

Tony nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry. I think I’ll spend the rest of my life saying that, and it won’t be enough times.”

“Eh, you’re not so bad, Tones. You’re my favourite hot mess, besides Ivan.”

Tony clicked his fingers. “Oh yeah, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. What would you say if I said that I had a house in Chicago that I don’t want or need anymore, and I was willing to give it to you and Ivan?”

Justin looked at him with an odd expression. “I can’t figure out why you have a house in Chicago or why you would give it to me, but sure.”

“Well, I was just thinking, I’d like to help you have a safe place to live, and it’s clear that your home just isn’t cutting it anymore. I’ll send you the info on the place, get Pepper to set up a meeting with you to talk it over, ‘kay?” Justin nodded.

“Sounds good. Thank you, Tony.”

Tony wiped away a tear and took a shaky breath. “God. I’m such a dickhead.”

“Tony, seriously, cm’ere,” he said. He opened his arms and beckoned Tony to come closer. Tony leaned forward and Justin guided his shoulders so that Tony’s head lay on his chest. He stroked Tony’s hair as he sobbed quietly.

Ivan found them again half an hour later, both of them sleeping soundly. He smiled and sat in the chair next to them, watching both of them escape from their lives for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony had offered to fly them out to Chicago on his private plane. The company was dealt with, his family was slightly worried about why it was suddenly being handed over, but he gave an explanation of stress, and they bought it, so no worries there.

“Do you think your sister will buy that?” Ivan asked while they were on the plane. Tony had fallen asleep within five minutes of them taking off.

“Eh. Sam’s a smart person. She always knows what’s up with me, even if I’ve never mentioned anything that’s wrong. Guess it’s probably sibling intuition or something,” Justin said. They had had a call to where Justin’s sister lived, and Ivan had officially decided that he was scared of her.

“Your sister is fucking scary. She said that if I fuck up, they’ll never find the body.”

“Yeah, she’s like that. She slapped my younger brother across the face when we found out he cheated on his wife,” Justin said.

“Holy shit!” Ivan exclaimed. “She does not fuck around.”

“No, Sam’s pretty serious when it comes to that kind of thing. Guess it’s because she’s the oldest, she kinda feels responsible for all of us. Also, her ex-husband was pretty abusive,” Justin confessed.

“Wow, your family is fucked up,” Ivan said.

“Yeah, and I don’t talk to my dad anymore because he told me he raised a daughter, not a son, so I cut all communication with him when I left for college,” Justin said. “What was your family life like?”

Ivan froze, then shrugged. “Not the happiest. My dad was basically always drunk, always mad. My mum died when I was fifteen, so it was just me and my dad. Got the fuck out of there soon as I was able to, but I went back when he started dying.”

“Yeah? Sounds wild,” Justin said.

“Yep. May or may not have gotten involved with the mob at one point.”

“Shit, really?” Justin asked. “Damn, What was that like?”

“Scary, to be honest,” Ivan said. “Got shot multiple times. Killed more people than that.”

“Damn. Really regretting getting you a pardon,” a mumble came from across the isle. Tony turned over to face them.

“How much of this have you followed?” Justin asked.

“The whole thing,” Tony said. “Did we all have shit childhoods or did I dream that?”

“No, we’re all fucked up in the head, you’re right,” Justin said.

“I don’t know if I know any people that aren’t like that,” Ivan said.

“Blake?” Justin suggested.

“No no, they’ve tried to kill themselves, they told me so,” he said.

“Damn,” Justin said sadly. “There is legit no one.”

“Boo hoo, we all hate ourselves, big deal. Just accept the way things are and your life’ll be so much easier,” Tony said, rolling his eyes.

“That would work for me if only I didn’t have high functioning depression,” Justin replied.

“Wow, way to escalate things,” Ivan chuckled.

“Yeah, and you probably have PTSD now,” Tony muttered.

“Oh yeah, got that to enjoy, huh?” Justin said. “Can’t wait for that to kick in.”

“Jesus Christ, can we not talk about this right now?” Ivan asked.

“Yeah, we’re landing in like two minutes,” Tony said, turning back over to face the wall.

“Welp, that was a conversation,” Ivan mumbled. He looked over and saw that Justin was nodding off a bit, so he shut up and watched out of the window.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I really hate you,” Ivan said when Tony opened the door to the house. Justin laughed, tipping his head back. Tony looked at him with an almost nostalgic expression.

“Why the fuck are you two staring at me like that?” Justin asked, raising his eyebrow.

“Because that’s the first time you’ve laughed since waking up,” Ivan said, wheeling him into the house.

“Your smile makes me feel like I’m frolicking through a field of gummy bears,” Tony said. “Is this what happiness is like?”

“I think so,” Justin said.

“What are gummy bears?” Ivan asked. Tony looked at him incredulously while Justin’s jaw dropped.

“Do you not know what gummy bears are?” Justin said.

“No?” He said, voice raising comically. Tony shook his head.

“You poor, poor man. JARVIS,” Tony addressed to the ceiling, “order fifteen large packs of gummy bears and a bottle of wine from whatever supermarket is nearest.”

“Will do, sir,” JARVIS’s voice said. Ivan looked up, eyebrows furrowing.

“What the fuck?”

“I am JARVIS, Mr Stark’s assistant in any and everything within any of his homes, and now this includes yours, Mr Vanko,” the calm voice said.

“Great. Excellent. Because I didn’t feel like someone was watching my every move before,” Ivan muttered.

“I have no physical eyes, so that is not entirely accurate,” JARVIS added.

“Little shit,” Tony said. “J, don’t annoy the nice man, he won’t hesitate to remove your servers.”

“I don’t doubt it, sir,” JARVIS said.

“Well, I’m going to go make a phone call so Pepper doesn’t think I’m dead,” Tony said. “Make yourselves at home.”

“Will do, Tony,” Justin said, watching him go out of the door.

“Well, this is weird,” Ivan said once Tony had shut the door.

“Yeah, well, let’s enjoy it, huh?” Justin asked. “At least before the snow sets in.”

“Good old October,” Ivan said. “How cold does it get here?”

“Not as cold as Russia, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, no shit, it’s Russia,” Ivan said, laughing. “That’s how it works.”

“Yeah, true, but it probably is going to get pretty cold. Better get my coat up here soon,” Justin said. “Tony told me all our shit’s arriving next week.”

“I’d better buy a coat,” Ivan said. “I don’t have one.”

“Good job,” Tony said, walking back in with three plastic bags and the bottle of wine. “In the meantime, here’s the food.”

“Tony, are you trying to give us diabetes?” Justin asked.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Ivan said, looking at the bags with an apprehensive expression. “Why?”

“There’s this thing you can do,” Tony said, opening the cupboard and taking out a glass bowl, “where you put gummy bears in a bowl and fill it with alcohol and then put it in the fridge and you get like this gummy bear alcohol cake thing.” He opened one of the bags and poured in about three quarters of the gummy bears. Ivan took the bottle and Tony passed him a bottle opener.

“It’s nice to see you two getting along,” Justin said from the wheelchair.

“Eh, give it ten minutes,” Tony said.

“Got any wine glasses?” Ivan asked.

“Do I?” Tony said. He opened a cupboard to reveal shelves of about fifty glasses. “Take your pick.”

The other two stood in silence, before Justin said incredulously, “How much do you drink?”

“Too much,” Tony said. Ivan shrugged and took some glasses from the cupboard before breaking out into laughter.

“What the fuck,” Ivan laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Five months later

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ivan asked. Justin was lying on the bed, legs around Ivan’s waist. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He smoothed a hand over Justin’s slightly rounded stomach.

“Ivan, you couldn’t do anything to hurt me, trust me,” he said.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Ivan said.

Justin suddenly lurched up and kissed him. Ivan kissed back, and then pressed Justin down onto the bed. He softly took hold of Justin’s hips and sank in slowly. Justin got fed up, because he wrapped his legs tighter and sent Ivan the rest of the way in very quickly.

“Justin! Are you crazy?”

“I’m not made of glass, you stupid ass Russian, so move,” Justin said, digging his heels in more.

“Can we not just take it slow for once?” Ivan asked. “Really, I’m not just being annoying.”

“Ugh, fine,” Justin said. The ring on Ivan’s finger glinted in the dimmed light and Justin smiled.

“I love you,” He said.

“I love you too,” Ivan said, rubbing circles into Justin’s hips. He kissed Justin’s neck while Justin’s scarred hands found their way into Ivan’s hair. When Ivan grazed the sweet spot, Justin whined and his grip tightened.

“Oh God, right there, Jesus Christ,” he said, closing his eyes. Ivan hummed and missed it purposefully. Justin’s eyes flew open. “You dickhead!”

Ivan chuckled. “Sorry,” He said. “Couldn’t resist.” He bit hard on Justin’s neck, and he whimpered.

“Please,” He whispered.

“Tell me what you want,” Ivan said in a singsong voice. Justin whined louder.

“Please fuck me harder, Jesus, why is it so hard for you to just fuck me senseless?” He shouted. Ivan took that opportunity to use his fast reflex skills and take one of his suit ties from the bedside drawer and tie Justin’s wrists together, just above his head.

“Oh my God,” Justin said. He tugged, but they wouldn’t come loose, no matter what.

“Remember the word?” Ivan said, sucking hickies into his collarbone.

“Y- yes,” Justin said, stuttering a bit when Ivan finally started moving. Justin gasped loudly when Ivan crooked two fingers inside of him as well.

“Fuuuuck,” He said, tugging on the restraints again.

“Don’t rip my tie,” Ivan growled, finding Justin’s g-spot again.

“Hahaha, you... crazy Russian... bastard,” Justin said, gasping for air. His walls fluttered around Ivan, and he grunted.

“You’re an asshole,” he said, quickening his pace.

Justin breathed heavily before getting out his next word. “Dickhead.” He twisted so that his tied hands rested over Ivan’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. “Now make me scream,” he whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave comments and kudos for a continuation!


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